Rotary engine



spt. 17, 1935.

C. FNLEY ROTARY ENGINE F1159; July 2 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. A17, 1935.

c. M. FINLEY RG'IARY ENGINE ,Filed July 26, 19375 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept- 17; 1935i;l c. M. FINLEY 2,015,027

ROTARY ENGINE Filed July 2e, 1953 s sheets-sheet 3 Patented Sept. 17, 1935 I UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE no'ramr ENGINE- Charles M. Finley, Sioux City, Iowa, assignor of one-hall.' to Roy T. Quick, Jr.,

Sioux City,

'Application July 2s, 1933, serial Nafcsazss leiaim. (01.123-141 A further object of my invention is to provide l an engine of this type which will cause the ex- 15 plosive forces to be directed partially tangential to the rotor itself, and in a direction radially thereto.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for maximum efficiency in the com- 20 bustion chambers, such means including a high compression ratio, a minimum loss due to effective scavenging of burned exhaust gases, and .I

effective shape of the combustion chambers.

A' further object of my Iinvention is to provide 25 a motor which is comparatively light for the horse power developed and whichv provides efflclent reenforcing means consistent with lightness, and provides valve arrangements working integrally with the main rotating and reciprocating 30 parts.

A further object of my invention is to eliminate a great many working parts now necessary in reciprocating engines, -and to simplify the construction of the rotary engine to the greatest 35 possible extent.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are at- 40 tained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken medially along the shaft of the engine, and showing broken away 45 sections of the slide housing and the turbulence chamber.

Figure 2 is a partially sectional view taken of an elevation of the engine being taken from the rear thereof, and showing fragmentary sections of the 50- slide housing, and` partially external view of the Y"lrotors- 1 T Figure 3 is a sketch showing the working relation of the engine with respect to the various 55 on the up stroke.

'slides and the retor showing the rotor started e Figure 4 shows the rotor in position just before top center.

Figure 5 shows he rotor advanced stili further :gid shows the sweeping action of the turbulent Figure 6 shows themachine during the expansion stroke.

Figure 7 shows the exhaust port opening.

Figure 8 shows the air port opening and the scavenging operation. These operations refer 10 specifically v.to the upper central chamber.

Figure9 is an elevation of the slide.

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken through'theslide and ythe slide housing, and being taken generally along the lines Iil-III of Figure 1.

The disadvantages of the present reciprocating engine are varied and many. The modern gasoline engine, although developed to a high degree, has a very low mechanical eiliciency in comparison to the engine of the rotary type. The reason for this is due largely to the fact that the Vreciprocating typeA of engine, by virtue of the starting and stopping effects, undergoes severe strains under its operation. Furthermore, a great many more parts are in sliding contact with cylinder walls and the like, causing a large amount of friction to be prevalent in the machine.

It will be realized, that if combustion principles can be applied successfully to a rotary type engine, that the eiliciency will be greatly increased, due to the elimination of the aforementioned factors.

To successfully devise such an engine, it is, therefore, necessary to apply the explosive forces on a rotating body in the correct manner and in such proportion that the forces will be most ef- 1 ciently directed thereagainst.

The principal. features of my invention coin-l prise the rotation of a true circular rotor adapted to rotate eccentrically within a circular stationary frame, and to successively form combustion chambers spaced equally thereabout, and to harness the expanding forces of the rapidly burning gases.

I have used the character I0 to designate generally the rotor itself, which is cylindrical in shape and includes the fins II for the cooling thereof. The outer portions of the rotor are welded or suitably aixed at I2 lto the hollow spokes I3 which are aflixed to the hub- Il. The hub Il is journalled on the bearing I5, which 5 bearing includes a series of radially drilled holes j I6 located therein.

hollow spokes I3, which are indicated by the character I1.

The bearing I5 is mounted eccentrically on the portion I3 of the shaft I9. The portion I3 includes the opening 53 which is plugged approximately in the center thereof, by means of the plug 29. The ends of the opening 53 terminate in the further openings 2| and 22. The shaft I9 is formed integrally with the portion I3 as shown, however, the other extremity of the shaft 23 is made of a separate piece so that the rotor I3 can be mounted on to the crank arm I3 during the assembly thereof.

'I'he shaft 23 is adapted to clamp about the portion 24 by virtue of the bolt 25 which passes through the indent 23. This bolt is clamped under` a great deal of pressure to insure a maximum rigidity to the structure. The shaft 23 includes the opening 21 arranged to communicate with the opening 50 and the shaft 23 also has the opening 23 bored longitudinally thereof. Passing through the opening 23 is the bolt 29 which bolts through the Vgear 30, a portion of which gear is driven from the starting gear 3| by virtue of its engagement with the' further gear 32. The gear 32 includes the integral member 33 which is clamped to the cam 34. The bolts 99, which bolt these pieces together, are passed through a plurality of openings arranged about the periphery thereof, which openings are so arranged that the timing of the cam can be controlled by merely shifting the engagement of the openings.

The cam 34 includes the extended cam portions 35, which are adapted to operate the standard injection pumps 36, which pumps operate the standard injection nozzles 31. The injection pumps and nozzles need not be elaborated on herein since they are well known in the art, and the nozzle is adapted to inject a highly atomized spray at 33 into the chambers of the engine. The cam portion 35, of course, regulates the period or motion of injection, so that the atomized fuel is injected in proper sequence, and this cam operates the springs, push rods, and the like within the injection pump 36 in a satisfactory manner to cause this operation.

The stationary frame of the engine is indicated generally by the character 39. Bolted against the frame is the member 40, which carries the flange 4I, which flange in turn includes the hollow ring portion 42, which communicates with a series of radially drilled holes 43, which holes are drilled through the shaft, and communicate with the opening 23.

Oil is pumped into the ring 42 by a suitable oil pump, and the same then passes into the opening 23 through the opening 43. The opening 21 is drilled through the shaft 23 at one side of the bolt 29, thereby allowing unrestricted passage of the oil to the opening 53. The oil then travels'through the opening 53 and is effectively stopped by the plug 23. It then flows outwardly through the right hand spokes as shown in Figure l, through the hollow spaces 44, thence inwardly through the left hand spokes, through the left hand opening 50; thence out through the openingy 2|, where it passes through the openings 45 and 43 and downwardly through the opening 41, through the connection 43, where it is then carried throughea suitable cooling arrangement and the like, and passes into the sump 49 where the cycle is again repeated.

It will be seen from these features that the passage of the cooled oil through the rotor in this manner will cool the same due to the thinner sections of the spokes and the nns.

The frame 39 carries the roller bearings 5| and 52, which receive the shafts I3 and 23.

Since the engine is intended to be used prin- 5 cipally for aeronautical uses, the conventional propeller hub 53 is shown mounted on the shaft with a thrust bearing 54 mounted within the casing 55, which casing is attached to the frame 39. 'I'he bolts, nuts, and the like necessary for i0 clamping the various members to one another need not be described here, since these processes are well known to anyone skilled in the art.

The hollow bored section 53 is provided in the shaft I9 to insure lightness therein. l5 'I'he starter ratchet is indicated generally by the character 51, and is attached to the gear 3| by means of the bolt 53. 'I'he starter can be started with an auxiliary motor, by hand, or in any other familiar fashion. 20

It willbe understood that a suitable connection is made between the injection pump 33 and the injection nozzle 31 which connection is not shown herein.

The rotor carries the circular rings 33 which 25 are utilized to prevent escape of oill and burning gases, and act in this respect similar to the ordinary piston rings in a reciprocating engine. Suitable expansion lrings are placed beneath these rings to force the same outwardly at all 3Q times. I

It will be noted that the outer cylindrical surface of the rotor does not touch the stationary frame at any time. This is not necessary since the pressure of the gases and the like is contained 35 between the slides.

' Now that the principal mechanical features of the rotor have been explained, we shall pass to the slides, which are spaced equally aboutthe rotor, and which provide the chambers for ef-A L fectively storing anfd directing the energy of the burning gases. The\slides are indicated generally by the character 3|. ese slidesare generally hollow in section, and include the depressions 32 and 33. 'I'he Adepressions 32 are arranged to re-v 4,5,- ceive the compression springs 54,4 which receive the guide rods 35, which rods are threadedly en gaged at 33 to the keep-plate 31. The cavities 33 provide the function of attaining lightness to the valve.

The valve 3| includes the downwardly projecting ends 33 which are adapted to straddle the rotor with a tight nt therebetween. 'Ihe openings 39 are formed within these portions to i achieve further lightness. The valve 3| includes 55; the longitudinal slot 13 on one side, and the slot 1| on the other side thereof, the purpose of which will be explained later. The slides are oiled in the following manner:

Oil is.pumped into the hollow ring 12 from Il()x which it passes through the opening 13 in the stationary frame 33. The oil then passes down-,- wardly through the grooves 14 in the slide itself. The rotor engaging member 15, which is approximately semi-cylindrical, is received within the slide between the ends 33. This member is adapted to closely fit the curvature of the rotor and is slidably received within the slide 3|, so .A that during the operationof these slides, this member can rock freely during the changing 70 positions of the arrangement.

The member is pivotally held in place by means of the pin |30 passing through the sides 33.

The member 15 includes the grooves 13, 11, and 13, which communicate with the groove 14, allow- 75 ing the oil to pass therethrough; causing an eilicient lubrication on all wearing surfaces. Since the 'groove 14 is adjacent theA wall of the stationary frame, as shown, the side will therefore be satisfactorily lubricated. Similarly, a plurality of oil grooves are provided within the casing .about the lengthened sides of the slides to provide lubrication lon these surfaces also.

' The inlet opening 1 0 .is provided at the upper end of the slide receiving chamber I0, which inlet is attached to the-head Il to which is attached the further tube l2. The member l2 is attached to a suitable blower which is adapted to supply air under pressure through the hollow slides. The slide housing I0 includes the cooling fins It will be observed that as the rotor rotates, it is constantly in close engagement with the slide valve, with the downward portions 69 of the slides engaging the sides thereof, and the semi-,cylindrical member bearing against the rotor. The pressure in the spring $4 lis suilicient to maintain a close engagement with the rotor dur- ,ing any rotational speed of the same.

The exhaust ports I4 are provided in the frame and are spaced suitable, as will be explained later,

to allow the proper exhaust effect and scavenging of the burned gases. f Inwardly projecting ring flanges l5 having the `downwardly projecting lips l0 are integrally formed with the frame to cause catching of excess oil within the portion 01 to allow the same to run downwardly to the opening 45 and thence back to the sump.

Adjacent the slide housings, the frame includes the pockets or cavities il, which are adapted to increase the turbulence of the mixed air and gases. i The fuel is injected at the point as shown in the diagrammatic figures just between the pocket Il. and the rotor. 'Ihe point of yinjection is extemeiy small and causes an extremely fine atomization. s

Spaced equally about the stationary frame are the iin-sl). In order to strengthen the machine, and at the same time provide suitable lightness for the purpose intended, I provide the rings 90, which are shrunk about these fins. This insures 4sufficient strengthto the' machine and 'the majority of the strains will be absorbed by these rings. which are relatively light.

The fur-ther flns 9| will taper downwardly, since the cavity Il will also taper, or, if necessary, the rings can pass through suitable openings in the fins 9i.

T nrlligure 2, the conventional oil pump is indicated by the character $2 and need not be elaborated on herein. and the flanges for receiving the injection nozzles are indicated by the character L Now that the principal features of the engine have been explained, I shall now explain the working operation thereof.

--These functions are shown in Figures 3 to 8 inclusive. In Figure 3, the rotor, which is rotatlng in the counter clock-wise direction, as indicated by thearrow 94, is starting on its up stroke. Referring to the upper central chamber ll, it will be seen that the exhaust port 04 in this chamber is'closed, since the rotor' sides are pressing thereagainst. I 'me suse sl, which is within the hollow circular vframe and the larger opening 10, is now open allowing air under pressure to be blown into the vcompressed and at approximately this time, fuel is injected at the pointA 96, as the air is compressed due to the rapidly increasing compression, the air reaches an extremely high temperature which will be approximately 1000 degrees fahrenheit. At this point, als heretofore explained, the fuel is` injected in a highly atomized condition and Figure 5 illustrates by means ofthe arrows 91, the sweeping action of the turbulent air within the pockets 88. It will be seen from the construction of the pocket that the air is literally squeezed into the pocket, providing a thorough mixing effect with the injected fuel.

It will be noted inv Figure 1 that the injection nozzles are positioned -in a slightly divergent relation with respect to the engine. 'Ihls allows the ing blown therefrom.

Figure 8, shows the next position of the rotor with the exhaust fully opened, and air ports I0 and 1i in the slides also opened causing anellicient scavenging of the burned gases by blowing any residue through the exhaust port. The opening 1| in this insta ce assists in the scavenging 40 of successive chamlfs.l

It will be understo of course, that the identical effects and functions will be performed successively within the spaces between the slides, so that the rotor will receive six impulses during one rotation, since the rotor is mounted eccentrically on its shaft; the impulses will be directed against the rotor surface in such a manner that the leverage due to the crank arm having the forces exerted against the rotor will develop power and torque in the shafts I9 and 23.

The impulses are imparted to the rotor surface in a smooth flow of power, which causes a uniform rotary motion to therotor without the jerks and stops prevalent in` the reciprocating type. i

It will be noted that the rotor rotates freely on 4the bearing l5. This feature is quite important since, if the rotor were xed at this point, the outer peripheral speed of the rotor against the slides would result in an excess of friction losses. Since the rotor is journalled in this manner during the eccentric rotation of the same, the tendency `for the rotor is to rotate in ari opposite direction to its eccentric movement due to the retention of frictional forces exerted by the slides, etc. In this way the speedof rotation of the outer surface of the rotor is reduced to a minimum, and likewise the heat of combustion formed in successive chambers is distributedequally about the surface'.m

thereof. This produces Vthe"desirables'resuit 'of-Mm.. Y

leliminating a great deal of heating and losses due to friction, and more equally distributes the engine, which will develop power through rotary motion and eliminates the necessity of pure reciprocating parts.

It will also be seen that I have provided these means in an engine which eliminates the necessity of ignition parts and the like, which is suitably cooled and oiled, and is adapted to stand considerable strain, be g rugged in construction, yet light.

It will be seen further that I have provided a rotary engine which provides anefcient twocycle operation with a minimum loss of power due to eiective scavenging of burned exhaust gases, and that I have provided an engine of relatively few parts for the purpose intended, which eliminates the several and varied pieces necessary in the reciprocatory engine.

It will be understood that the engine can be used involving similar principles and adapted for four-cycle Otto or Diesel operation with suitable .means for ignition, fuel carburetion or injection and valvular action.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my invention without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within its scope.

I claim as my invention:

A rotary engine comprising a circular hollow frame, a circular rotor journalled eccentrically within the frame, said rotor being adapted to rotate freely about its journalled axis, and said rotor being arranged to rotate within said frame freely spaced from the inner periphery thereof throughout said rotation, a plurality of hollow slides spaced about the frame adapted to bear against the rotor to form successive chambers about the rotor, means for introducing air through the hollow slides, and means for introducing an atomized fuel into the said chambers. 20

CHARLES M. FINLEY. 

